Foundation models of life, for life.

Close-up of a hummingbird with iridescent orange throat feathers hovering near a red flower.
Close-up of a hummingbird with iridescent orange throat feathers hovering near a red flower.

We build models of life beyond human understanding. Our models extrapolate from data to design breakthrough biological medicines. When the data is insufficient, we build experiments to create it, at unprecedented scale.

We are AI and biochemistry pioneers from

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Institute for Protein Design University of Washington
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Institute for Protein Design University of Washington
Genentech Logo
Roche Logo
FAIR Logo
Harvard Logo

We work on the beach, where wet and dry meet to produce the best models for drug discovery.

Foundation models for better medicines

AI drug discovery has been held back by narrow models built on human assumptions. We embrace end-to-end foundation models that learn how to design and characterize molecules directly from diverse observations of life—to enable new therapies with superior properties, and ultimately open new therapeutic frontiers.

Deep learning from life

We train models end-to-end on massive amounts of heterogeneous, multi-scale data, spanning sequence, structure, and function. Where training data is lacking, we build tools to experimentally generate it at unprecedented scale.

This enables our models to empirically understand the phenomenon of life, and generalize across programs and problems.

Our models train on heterogenous, multi-scale data, including public datasets, data generated by our lab, and partner data.

This enables them to synthesize an empirical understanding of the phenomenon of life and generalize across programs and problems.

Rapid wet + dry validation

We score novel data and designs in silico to continually improve our models and assays. But in silico validation is insufficient.

Our in-house wet lab ranks models and validates designs in vitro and in vivo at a high frequency. Iterative cycles reduce time and cost from design to drug candidate.

We score novel data and designs in silico to continually improve our models and assays. But in silico validation is insufficient.

Our in-house wet lab is also continually ranking models and validating designs in vitro and in vivo. Iterative cycles reduce time and cost from design to drug candidate.

Breakthrough drugs, beyond the data

Our proprietary algorithms are engineered to extrapolate beyond the best molecules in the data. Instead of merely learning what the best molecules in the data look like, they learn to iteratively improve therapeutic molecules, yielding designs superior to any seen before.

Models train on the best existing designs and extrapolate further, discerning how to improve molecules to ultimately make better designs than anything they’ve seen in the data.

We wield this process to enable you to design novel drug candidates that outperform current options across numerous properties.

Building custom models together

We partner with leading drugmakers to customize foundation models for their discovery programs. Then we co-design novel medicines and empower our partners to take them to the clinic.

We view partnerships as strategic alliances, working together over time to tune models, utilize data, and transfer knowledge. Let’s discuss how our team and technology can optimize your AI investment and pipeline.

Speak with us
Diagram showing three layers: Multimodal data sources at the bottom with genomic, functional, and structural categories; Inceptive foundation model in the middle; Application specific partner model at the top; with interconnected overlapping arcs.Diagram illustrating layers from multimodal data sources including inceptive and publicly available data at the base, moving up through inceptive foundation model, and application-specific partner model pipelines at the top.

Inside Inceptive

Our antedisciplinary team of scientists, AI researchers, and engineers works together on “the beach” where wet and dry meet and new ideas come to life.

Founded by AI and biochemistry pioneers in 2021, Inceptive now has offices in Palo Alto, Berlin and Zurich.

Backed by

Models and molecules with maximum impact

Our mission

We believe AI models can do the greatest good for humanity by learning the mechanisms of life and designing novel therapies. We’re hiring scientists and engineers across AI and bio with the drive to optimize black box models for medicine.

Beginners only

We are leaders in our fields, but we bring a humble beginner’s mindset to our work. To explore the frontiers of life and design better medicines, we have to abandon what we thought we knew. We continuously start from scratch, ask new questions together, and follow the data.

Ready to begin

Media

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Revolutionizing RNA with AI for Drug Development

2025/01/12

Crazy Stupid Tech

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The AI Pioneer Developing New Kinds of Medicine

2025/07/12

What’s Your Problem?

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How AI sidesteps traditional science

2024/10/22

TED